Gilbert Plass (March 17, 1920 – March 19, 2008) was an American physicist and atmospheric scientist best known for his pioneering research in the 1950s on the absorption of infrared radiation by carbon dioxide (CO2) and its implications for the Earth's climate. His work significantly advanced the scientific understanding of the greenhouse effect and its potential role in global warming.
Early Life and Education Gilbert N. Plass was born on March 17, 1920. He pursued his higher education in physics, eventually earning his Ph.D. from Princeton University.
Career and Research Plass held positions at several prominent institutions throughout his career, including Johns Hopkins University, the Ford Motor Company Scientific Laboratory, and later as a professor at Texas A&M University and the University of Miami.
His most impactful contributions emerged in the mid-1950s when he utilized detailed spectroscopic data and early computational methods to investigate the radiative properties of atmospheric gases. At a time when the "carbon dioxide theory" of climate change, initially proposed by Svante Arrhenius and refined by Guy Stewart Callendar, was still largely debated or dismissed, Plass provided robust quantitative evidence.
Key Contributions to Climate Science:
- Infrared Absorption by CO2: Through meticulous laboratory measurements and theoretical calculations, Plass demonstrated that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere effectively absorbs infrared radiation, preventing it from escaping into space and thus contributing to the greenhouse effect. He specifically showed that water vapor's absorption bands did not completely "saturate" or overlap with CO2's, meaning CO2 had an independent and significant warming effect.
- The Carbon Dioxide Theory of Climatic Change (1956): His seminal 1956 paper, "The Carbon Dioxide Theory of Climatic Change," published in the journal Tellus, presented compelling calculations that linked increasing atmospheric CO2 levels to a potential rise in global temperatures. He estimated that a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide could lead to a global temperature increase of approximately 3.6 °C (6.5 °F), a figure remarkably consistent with modern climate model projections.
- Revival of Climate Change Concern: Plass's work was crucial in reviving scientific interest and concern about anthropogenic climate change. By providing quantitative physical evidence and calculations, he helped shift the discussion from mere speculation to a more evidence-based scientific inquiry, laying foundational groundwork for modern climate research.
Legacy Gilbert Plass's research in the 1950s was instrumental in establishing the physical basis for understanding the greenhouse effect and the potential for human-induced global warming. His meticulous calculations and spectroscopic analyses were foundational, influencing subsequent generations of climate scientists and contributing to the global scientific consensus on climate change.
He passed away on March 19, 2008, in Naples, Florida.
Selected Publications
- Plass, G. N. (1956). The Carbon Dioxide Theory of Climatic Change. Tellus, 8(2), 140-154.
- Plass, G. N. (1959). Carbon Dioxide and Climate. Scientific American, 201(1), 41-47.
See Also
- Greenhouse effect
- Climate change
- Svante Arrhenius
- Guy Stewart Callendar
References
- Weart, S. R. (2003). The Discovery of Global Warming. Harvard University Press.
- Fleming, J. R. (2007). The Callendar Effect: The Life and Work of Guy Stewart Callendar (1899-1964), the Scientist Who Established the Carbon Dioxide Theory of Climate Change. American Meteorological Society.